So, i began to restain my vintage Yamaha hoops, and i'm starting to think i should have just left one of them alone, and then just try to find a close match stain to stain the one that was damaged and repaired. Guy at the hardware store told me that to find a close match for my Yamaha vintage natural stain, would be Varathane "Summer Oak" stain. I even had one of the hoops with me just to compare and to be sure that what i'd be getting would be the closest match possible.. Turns out that after first coat, first wet sanding with 400 grit wet sandpaper, and then a second coat, the stain isn't as dark as i thought it would be, and is nowhere near a match. It's got a reddish tone to it, but not quite as dark as the original Yamaha stain. Maybe it's too soon to tell and maybe the stain has to settle in to the wood, and maybe a few more coats would make it darker, but as of now it doesn't look like it. We even picked a satin stain so that the gloss consistency would match. So far, it looks nice, but is nothing like the original.

My questions are, for anyone who could answer it-- (JC Cabinets please help;)) Which stain would be a closer or even perfect match to the original ? Does Varathane make that stain finish, or do i have to try something else ? Do i have to continue to recoat and wet sand to achieve the desired original finish ? Any and all thoughts are appreciated, and i really would like to make the hoops look as close to the original as possible.. Here is a pic of the results compared to the original finish..Forgive the position of the pics, i forgot to turn them ..LOL !